Ministry report: ‘COTPA implementation poor in films, TV shows’

The latest report released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) finds television shows and films lacking in implementation of “film rules” under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) that makes it mandatory to display static messages and anti-tobacco health spots of 30 seconds for programmes airing use of tobacco products. Of 308 movies that were screened, there were 149 scenes where tobacco usage was shown. Of 45 TV channels studied, 22 per cent TV shows depicted tobacco use, the findings of the report indicated.

The “film rules”, implemented from October 2012, under the COTPA make it mandatory for scenes where tobacco or cigarette is shown to display a health warning to viewers. It also demands an “editorial justification” to show tobacco in a scene. Additionally, the film or TV programme should show a 30-second anti-tobacco health spot at the beginning and middle of the programme.

The study, conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Vital Strategies, found that only 27 per cent films implemented all rules of this act. Of 3,080 people interviewed after these films, most agreed that such warnings help in raising awareness against tobacco.

The study focused on regional and national channels and viewed content stretching over 413 hours. The awareness among TV channels was found to be lower than films which go through censor board for certification. “Cigarettes are most often shown in scenes. We found that only 4 per cent TV shows implemented two out of three major film rules,” said Dr Nandita Murukutla, country director of Vital Strategies. Even if static warnings were displayed in scenes, they were hardly visible, the report noted.

Tobacco depiction was also higher in films in South India. Of the 149 scenes that showed tobacco or cigarettes, 32 per cent were found in South Indian films followed by 28 per cent in Bollywood, 21 per cent in films made in Eastern India and 20 per cent in North India.

The film rules legislation was introduced in 2012 after social activists red-flagged rising oral cancer cases due to high tobacco consumption in India. Cancer is one of the 10 leading causes of deaths in India, ahead of malaria and tuberculosis.While secretary for MoHFW, C K Mishra, on Friday stressed on increased cooperation of film and TV industry claiming it influences masses the most, several film industry members lashed out at the government for harsh regulations that curb their “creative freedom”, in the meeting.

“The government should first ban tobacco in the country. We must not be accused for using our creative freedom. The film and television bashing must end,” said filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, who was present at the launch of the report.

According to producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, films only depict what is happening on ground. “There is no attempt to glamourise it,” he said. According to Pahlaj Nihalani, chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, cinema halls must also be asked to show anti-tobacco films after the national anthem.

Source: New Indian Express

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PMO backs Health Ministry on larger pictorial warnings on tobacco packs

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has backed the Health Ministry's decision to increase the size of pictorial warnings on packets of tobacco products from the current 40% to 85%.

The Health Ministry refused to roll back its decision despite mounting pressures from the tobacco product manufacturers in India.

Following the implementation of the new guidelines from April 1, many major manufacturers across the country decided to halt production, citing ambiguity on the graphic health warning on tobacco product packs.

It is said that the new policy has resulted in a daily loss of Rs 350 crore in production turnover for the tobacco industry.

However, senior officials in the health ministry maintained it is "firm on anti-tobacco stand" as it is a matter of public interest.

“We want to clarify that there is no ambiguity. This Cis a bogey raised by the tobacco industry. The case is crystal clear. We had issued the notification in September last year. If they had found an ambiguity, why did they send their letter in March, 2016,” a senior ministry official said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also backed the health Ministry's proposal to increase size of health warnings on tobacco packs.

A recent WHO report pointed out that smoking and tobacco-related diseases brought on a Rs. 1.04-trillion economic burden to the Indian economy.

The move has been welcomed by various health experts, citing that the health ministry could not take a better step than this to curb the tobacco-related deaths in the country, which currently stand at over 10 lakh.

Source: Zee News

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85 pc tobacco warning: No ambiguity in policy, says govt

Slamming the decision of tobacco manufacturers to halt production, the Centre today hardened its stand on the implementation of larger pictorial warnings on such products, saying it will take all the necessary steps to curb tobacco use in the country.

The Union Health Ministry said there is "no ambiguity" in the policy in this regard and it has been made "crystal clear" that products packaged after April 1 will have to carry larger warnings.

"We want to clarify that there is no ambiguity. This is a bogey raised by the tobacco industry. The case is crystal clear. We had issued the notification in September last year. If they had found an ambiguity, why did they send their letter in March, 2016," a senior ministry official said.

"They could have done it earlier. Our stand is very clear. Whatever needs to be done to curb tobacco consumption, will be done. We have clarified that products manufactured after April 1 will have to carry larger pictorial warnings covering 85 percent of the display area," the official added.

The comments come a day after major cigarette manufacturers, including ITC, Godfrey Phillips and VST, decided to shut all their factories and stop production citing an "ambiguity" in the policy mandating larger pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the packaging space.

The ministry's September 24, 2015, notification for the implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2014, which prescribes larger pictorial warnings on tobacco products came into force yesterday.

Sources said the ministry implemented the decision after the Rajasthan High Court directed it to do so. They added that the tobacco manufacturers "should go to the court if they have an issue with the government's notification".

Notwithstanding a parliamentary panel's recommendation for a drastic reduction in the size after it described the proposal for 85 per cent pictorial warning as being "too harsh", the Centre has gone ahead with its implementation. 

Source: Times of India

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Lawyers insists on pictorial warnings on tobacco products

There is a groundswell of public opinion in favour of pictorial warning covering 85% of the packaging of cigarettes, bidis, chewable tobacco, etc. "We, the Lawyers-Against-Tobacco, urge you to show your golden heart and love for the nation by implementing 85% pictorial warning from 1st April 2016," says a letter written two days ago by Bar Association of Allahabad High Court to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We felt very proud when your Government issued a notification 2 years back to make large pictorial warnings mandatory on every tobacco product. It was the need of the hour in a country where tobacco consumption starts at tender age of 10-12 years. Needless to say that effective pictorial warning will also deter uneducated people from picking up this habit..." says the letter, signed by Advocates Radha Kand Ojha and Ashok Kumar Singh, President and Hon. Secretary of the Bar Association, adding, "Considering the growing menace of tobacco which may ultimately affect our own kids, we have formed a coalition called Lawyers Against Tobacco."

The back story of this debate makes the blood boil with indignation. It is estimated that over 10 lakh Indians die of tobacco-related ailments every year, and the total health expenditure burden of tobacco use exceeds one lakh crore rupees, i.e. 12 per cent more than combined State and Central government expenditure on health (2011-12 statistics). The government's excise duty earning from tobacco barely covers a piffling 17 per cent of the health expenditure! But, ingoring this, the 15-member Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation, that included the bidi baron Shyama Charan Gupta, evidently feels that the tobacco industry deserves our sympathy and consideration. Just like last year, the introduction of pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the principal display area on both sides of all tobacco products hit a roadblock with the committee taking the position that increasing the size of the warning from the current 40 per cent on only one side of the packet to 85 per cent on both sides would be "too harsh" on the tobacco industry. It recommended a marginal increase to just 50 per cent.

Despite the overwhelming percentage of people consuming bidis and chewing tobacco, the committee is intent on diluting the warning on these products by restricting the warning to just one side of the bidi pack; only cigarettes will have the warning on both sides of the packet.

In a weak attempt to paint pictorial warnings as ineffectual, the committee has leaned heavily on the findings of a British American Tobacco company-sponsored study while overlooking a body of evidence gathered by independent researchers, which indicate that thanks to larger, graphic warnings, 58 per cent of smokers in Canada and nearly 54 per cent in Brazil and Thailand changed their opinion about the health consequences of smoking on seeing the warnings.

Source: Times of India

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Docs urge PM for new pictorial warnings on tobacco products

As many as 653 doctors and office-bearers of medical societies across the country have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the new set of pictorial warning on tobacco product packages from April 1, to save millions of lives.

Doctors, cutting across specialties, in a letter, requested the Prime Minister to step in to prevent "powerful tobacco lobby" from subverting the anti-tobacco measures of the government.

"The country is 136th in the qualitative ranking of the pictorial warning on tobacco products. Large pictorial warning on tobacco packets is the most cost effective strategy to prevent youngsters from initiating use and provokes current users to quit the habit.

"We the doctors of India urge you to reject the recommendations of Committee on Subordinate Legislation (CoSL) that aims to promote tobacco industry rather than save innocent Indians from falling prey to this fatal addiction.

Effective pictorial warnings is all about awareness and it is being wrongfully equated with ban on tobacco," the letter said.

They quoted the Prime Minister's Facebook post on May 31, 2014, "Let's pledge to spread awareness on the risks of tobacco consumption & work to reduce tobacco consumption in India. Tobacco not only affects those consuming it but also people around. By saying no to tobacco, let us lay the foundation of a healthier India."

Dilip Acharya, Chairman of National Cancer Control Committee of Indian Medical Association, said, "In a country where vast majority of users are less literate, effective pictorial warning carries tremendous value.

"It is disheartening to note that the Parliamentary Committee has recommended a reduction in the size of the pictorial health warnings, especially since tobacco is linked to several debilitating and terminal diseases. Large and graphic health warnings, when repeatedly seen by children, will raise awareness about its effects," Acharya said.

Pankaj Chaturvedi, Professor and Surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital, who has also signed the petition, said, "The FB message of Modi ji shows his personal commitment for this important public health issue. Plethora of medical evidence has proven beyond doubt that tobacco is the only consumer product that has no good use except causing disease, disability and death. We are very hopeful that he will do the best for the health of the nation."

"We now look to the Health Minister to continue his crusade against tobacco and implement the 85 per cent pictorial health warnings on both sides of tobacco packages on April 1, as planned, to save the Indian youth and children from tobacco initiation and addiction," Harit Chaturvedi Chairman, Max Institute Of Oncology and Director, Surgical Oncology at Max Healthcare.

Source: The Tribune

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Let larger pictorial warnings stay

Nearly one million tobacco-related deaths take place in India every year, and in 2011, the total health expenditure burden from all diseases due to tobacco use amounted to more than Rs.1,00,000 crore, which is 12 per cent more than the combined State and Central government expenditure on health in 2011-12. The revenue earned through tobacco excise duty during the same period was a paltry 17 per cent of the health burden of tobacco. Yet, the 15-member Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation, that included the bidi baron Shyama Charan Gupta, has brazenly let commercial interests override public health concerns.

Just like last year, the introduction of pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the principal display area on both sides of all tobacco products hit a roadblock with the committee throwing a spanner in the works. It has said that increasing the size of the warning from the current 40 per cent on only one side of the packet to 85 per cent on both sides would be “too harsh” on the tobacco industry. It has instead recommended increasing the size to just 50 per cent.

Cigarette smokers a minority

According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, in 2009, of the nearly 15 per cent of children in India in the 13-15 age group who used some form of tobacco, only 4.5 per cent smoked cigarettes; 12.5 per cent used other forms of tobacco such as bidis and chewing tobacco. Similarly, in the case of adults in India, of the nearly 35 per cent tobacco users in 2009-2010, only 5.7 per cent smoked cigarettes, while bidi and chewing tobacco users were 9.2 per cent and nearly 26 per cent, respectively.

Despite the overwhelming percentage of people consuming bidis and chewing tobacco, the committee is intent on diluting the warning on these products by restricting the warning to just one side of the bidi pack; only cigarettes will have the warning on both sides of the packet. This goes against the grain of introducing larger pictorial warnings. Besides being unaware of all the risks associated with tobacco use, a vast majority of consumers in India of bidi and chewing tobacco are poor and less exposed to awareness campaigns. Larger images on both sides of the packet are the most effective and powerful way to communicate health risks to this population, provoke a greater emotional response, decrease tobacco consumption and increase motivation to quit.

India is ranked 136 among 198 countries in terms of prominence of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging. At 30 per cent, the only other country on the list with a smaller warning than India is Cayman Islands. Despite having relatively lower tobacco use than India, countries like Thailand (85 per cent front and back), Australia (75 per cent front and 90 per cent back), Uruguay (80 per cent front and back), Brunei (75 per cent front and back), Canada (75 per cent front and back), and Nepal (90 per cent front and back) have large-sized warnings.

A case of absurd arguments

In a weak attempt to paint pictorial warnings as ineffectual, the committee has leaned heavily on the findings of a British American Tobacco company-sponsored study while overlooking a body of evidence gathered by independent researchers. For instance, studies indicate that thanks to larger, graphic warnings, 58 per cent of smokers in Canada and nearly 54 per cent in Brazil and Thailand changed their opinion about the health consequences of smoking on seeing the warnings.

The committee’s naivety again stands exposed when it attempts to justify the reduction in pictorial warning size by arguing that tobacco consumption in India has increased and not declined after pictorial warnings were introduced in 2009. Tobacco companies too claim that there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that large, graphic health warnings reduce consumption. If these are indeed true, why is the committee afraid that the proposed health warnings would have the “potential to severely affect” farmers and tobacco companies? The pictorial warnings clearly cannot cut both ways.

The committee’s claim that pictorial warnings would encourage illicit trade is at best hollow. According to a 2015 paper in the journal Tobacco Control, a national cross-sectional survey undertaken in Australia after plain packaging was introduced found “no increase” in the use of illicit unbranded tobacco, contraband cigarettes or purchase from informal sellers. If plain packaging does not lead to increased illicit sales, there is no reason to believe that pictorial warnings would. Needless to say, sale of illicit tobacco products is more likely to be linked to cost of tobacco products than larger pictorial warnings.

Curbing illicit sales of tobacco products, if they really exist, should be a high priority for the government and the companies; there are several well-proven methods that India can adopt to fight this menace. For instance, Brazil and California use a digital tax stamp using invisible ink to keep illicit trade under check, while the European Union uses barcodes and Malaysia uses a security mark with a visible and an invisible feature.

While a comprehensive approach that includes education and awareness generation should be adopted, there is no evidence to back the committee’s claim that education and awareness generation are “more effective” than other methods. California spent millions of dollars to attain the level of awareness that Canada achieved through pictorial warnings at little or no cost to the government, notes a May 2010 study in Tobacco Control.

Unlike other measures, excise duty hike and bigger, graphic pictorial warnings are easy to enforce and have the highest impact on tobacco consumption. Considering the huge public health benefits, it is imperative that the Health Ministry ignore the recommendations of the committee and enforce pictorial warnings that cover 85 per cent of the principal display area on both sides of all tobacco products from April 1. Any dilution in the size of warning would entail a delay of several months and cost thousands of lives. The country can ill afford it.

Source: The Hindu

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App Maps Tobacco Vendors Near Schools

Ever thought that a 13-year-old could help shut down a cigarette shop near his school? Thanks to the Android app ‘Children Against Tobacco’, this is a distinct possibility in the future. The brainchild of S Cyril Alexander, State Convenor, Tamil Nadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control, the app will help map tobacco vendors within 100 metres of an educational institution.

Free for public download, all you need to do is register your name, mobile number and email address, and also fill out details of the vendor. “Once a member of the public alerts us about a tobacco-selling vendor within this proximity, we will collect further evidence with photos and so on, as well as details of other such vendors in the area and then file a comprehensive complaint with the State Tobacco Control Cell,” Cyril explained.

This is in accordance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003, which includes in its provisions: ‘Tobacco products cannot be sold to a person below the age of 18 years, and in places within a 100 metres radius from the outer boundary of an institution of education’. Although their focus is on schools at the moment, “The Act covers all educational institutions. So that means colleges and even tuition centres that provide signage are recognised establishments of study,” said Cyril, who has roped in assistance from his NGO Mary Anne Charity Trust.

How does it work?

• Download the app ‘Children Against Tobacco’
• Fill form with name of school, address, vendor name, type (tea shop, newsmart, provisional store)
• Once alerted, volunteers will gather info and photo evidence to lodge a plaint wi-th State Tobacco Control Cell

A volunteer said that over 40 city schools have been mapped so far, with plans to expand. “Next, we will start mapping vendors around schools in districts like Pudukottai, Tirunelveli, Tirupur and Dindigul,” she added. Plans are also afoot to sensitise school principals and train them to take action against perpetrators.

Source: The New Indian Express

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Kerala Police tightens the noose on public smokers

Indicating and reinforcing their strong commitment for public health, the 56,000-plus Kerala Police force has tightened the noose on public smokers. 

Figures of police action against public smoking for this July-September quarter show over 85 per cent jump as compared to the same period last year. As many as 47,282 persons were fined during the quarter for violating the no-public smoking provision of the Indian tobacco control law COTPA, 2003.

This is a record-high number ever since Kerala Police started an online system of COTPA violations reporting in October 2012.

Of the total 20 police districts, 17 districts have recorded action against public smokers in September 2015, as per the latest figures in the official police website. For the sake of administrative convenience, 14 revenue districts of the state have been divided into 20 police districts.

The impressive performance showcased during the quarter also comes from doubling and tripling of efforts by six district police teams as compared to July-September 2014. These include, Thiruvananthapuram City; Pathanamthitta; Ernakulam City; Thrissur City; Palakkad and Malappuram.

In Malappuram, for instance, the number of persons fined has increased from 52 during last July-September quarter to 5,726 in the same period this year. Palakkad has witnessed an over nine-fold increase, from 503 to 4,619.

The State Police Chief Shri TP Senkumar IPS said, “Kerala Police takes its commitment of safeguarding the health of our people very seriously.  We realise the dangerous impact of second-hand smoke and do not want our non-smoking population to suffer silently in public places. Action against COTPA violations are reviewed every month in the crime review meetings.” The Clean Campus, Safe Campus programme launched by the Government on 30 May 2014 has strengthened COTPA implementation and tobacco control, Shri Senkumar added.

In the interest of non-smokers, Section 4 of COTPA prohibits smoking in public places including bus stands, cinema halls, restaurants, hotels, pubs, and bars. It also mandates setting up of 60 x 30 cm signages in white, black and red colours. Violations including public smoking and absence of requisite signages can be fined up to Rs 200 on the spot.

As per figures of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-10 of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the World Health Organisation, 30 per cent of men and 8.5 per cent of women are exposed to second-hand smoke in public places. 

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Smokefree workplaces linked to smokefree homes in India

Adults in India are substantially more likely to abstain from smoking at home if they are prohibited from smoking at work, according to a study published in Tobacco Control - an international peer-reviewed journal for health professionals and others in tobacco control.

The percentage of respondents employed indoors (outside the home) working in smoke-free environments who lived in a smoke-free home was 64.0% compared with 41.7% of those who worked where smoking occurred. Indian states with higher proportions of smoke-free workplaces had higher proportions of smoke-free homes. In the individual-level analysis, working in a smoke-free workplace was associated with a significantly higher likelihood of living in a smoke-free home.

The authors of the study, from Imperial College London and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), say the findings suggest that the implementation of smokefree legislation in India may have resulted in substantial health benefits for the population, particularly for women and children.

“This study suggests that, in India, there is good evidence that smokefree laws in workplaces are associated with a reduction in second-hand smoke at home,” said Dr John Tayu Lee, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, who led the study.

“The results support the idea of ‘norm spreading’, whereby restrictions on smoking in public places make it seem less acceptable to expose others to second-hand smoke more generally, including at home,” said Dr Christopher Millett, from the School of Public Health at Imperial. “They highlight the importance of accelerating the implementation of smokefree legislation more widely in India.” Dr Millett is also a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at PHFI.

"Achieving sustained and equitable reductions in SHS exposure is a high public health priority for India. Our findings highlight the importance of accelerating the implementation of existing national tobacco control legislation on smoke-free public places (Section 4 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003) building on earlier successes in achieving smoke-free environments," the study notes. 

The study can be downloaded here

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Smoke-free regulations: Study finds crucial role of Government workers

Government workers play important roles in formulating, implementing and enforcing smoke-free regulations, reports a cross-sectional study conducted to assess factors associated with support for smoke-free policies among government workers in six Chinese cities.

The study called 'Factors associated with support for smoke-free policies among government workers in Six Chinese cities: a cross-sectional study' is the first to examine support for smoke-free settings among government workers, an important set of opinion leaders and a large segment of the working population in China.

Data were from an evaluation of the Tobacco Free Cities initiative of Emory University''s Global Health Institute - China Tobacco Control Partnership. As many as 6,646 workers in 160 government agencies in six Chinese cities completed self-administered surveys.

Over 90% felt that smoking should not be permitted in hospitals, elementary and middle schools, colleges, public transportation, religious sites, worksites or restaurants, found the study conducted to examine support for smoke-free settings among government workers from 160 agencies in six Chinese cities. 

Nine settings were examined, including colleges, hotels and religious sites which have not been examined in prior studies.

Levels of support for smoke-free public places typically vary by smoking status, knowledge about the harmfulness of SHS, and demographics. Levels of support also vary by the type of restriction. Knowledge about SHS was associated with increased support.

Data from the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey documented that 52.5% of adult non-smokers were exposed to SHS daily in China and 72.4% were exposed in a typical week.

The study and the important role it assigns to Government workers has a bearing in Kerala where 41.8 per cent and 18.7 per cent of adults were exposed to second-hand smoke at home and in public places respectively, as per GATS. 

Around 92.6% of Kerala’s adults believe that exposure to smoke causes serious illness in non-smokers.

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Kerala, the first Indian state to become tobacco advertisement free

Kerala has become India’s first state to be free of tobacco advertisements after the southern state completely did away with giving publicity to the nicotine-laden material at its points-of-sale.

Tobacco advertisements from 95.3 per cent of points-of-sale across 14 districts were successfully removed in an 18-month-long campaign spearheaded by the Public Health wing of the Kerala Health Services Department. The state police joined forces in this mega effort.

Tobacco control champion and Kerala Home Minister Shri Ramesh Chennithala declared Kerala as tobacco advertisement-free at function held in the presence of State Health Minister Shri VS Sivakumar in the Kerala capital of Thiruvananthapuram on November 14.

Dr AS Pradeep Kumar, Additional Director of Health Services (Public Health) who coordinated this massive effort, said a three-phase activity plan was developed with District Medical Officers at the core. “Sensitisation programmes were conducted with emphasis on Section 5 of COTPA for district officers at the state capital,” he added. “District officers in turn trained and authorised personnel attached to the Primary Health Centre.”

Section 5 of Indian tobacco control law called COTPA, 2003 bans all forms of advertisement, direct or indirect, of tobacco products.

The districts were given the freedom to customise according to their local needs. “This, in turn, raised the level of commitments and ownership taking,” pointed out the medical doctor who has a PhD in tobacco control. “At the state level, we supported the districts by framing guidelines, monitoring and advising course corrections,” said Dr Kumar who is among the few in India to have completed the Global Tobacco Control Leadership Program of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA.  

The process that started during World No Tobacco Day 2013 saw both integrated and intensive drives that effectively pooled the services of health personnel from district to primary health centre level. In drives integrated with regular activities during the first phase from June to December 2013, over 23,500 notices were issued to shops that violated the provisions of Section 5. 

Intensive weeklong drives in January and May 2014 marked the second leg of the campaign. As many as 32,566 shops and 62,365 eateries were inspected during the period 10 to 17 January 2014. While the January round revealed violations in 48.8 per cent of sites, field assessments conducted by personnel of Primary Health Centres in May showed that 90 per cent of points-of-sale were free of tobacco boards. 

In October 2014, teams led by District Medical Officers at the district level and Programme Officers at the Panchayat and Primary Health Centre level certified that tobacco advertisement boards were surfaced out. 

As many as 22,344 points-of-sale in 84 wards across Kerala were observed during 28 October to 7 November. Dr Pradeep Kumar says, “A civil society group with nearly four-decade-long experience in research and field implementation in Kerala conducted the evaluation study.”

The evaluation reported an overall compliance of 95.3 per cent – 98.5 per cent of points-of-sale are free of any advertisement hoardings and 96.7 per cent of points-of-sale are free from stickers and print advertisements. International standards prescribe that 90 per cent of sites have to be free of advertisements to become eligible for the tag of tobacco advertisement free. 

Noted head and neck cancer surgeon Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Centre and an internationally acclaimed tobacco control proponent said, “Tobacco is the only consumer product in the world that has not a single beneficial use apart from causing death and disability. Industry spends billions in advertising this killer product to lure youngsters. Ban on advertising will save innocent youths from initiating this habit. I congratulate the Kerala Government.”

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009-10) said 44.2 per cent of adults above 15 years in Kerala had noticed advertisements or promotions on cigarettes and 70.9 percent and 72.3 per cent had noticed advertisements on bidis and smokeless tobacco respectively. 

Bangalore-based senior head and neck cancer surgeon and tobacco control advocate Dr Vishal Rao said, “This is a significant step that Kerala has achieved in its efforts to improve public health of Keralites, especially the youth of Kerala. Youth between the age of 10 and 18 fall prey to the advertisement of tobacco and lured into addiction. Today we are seeing cancers in age group of 20s and 30s, which we earlier saw in the 70s. A healthy society should have less illness, less hospitals and less doctors and this can only be achieved through preventive health.” 

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Tobacco control: Health custodians congratulate Kerala Police

Senior custodians of health across the state have heaped praises on Kerala Police for their role in preventive health by tightening enforcement of the tobacco control law COTPA, 2003 that is aimed at protecting public from the many harms of tobacco use. COTPA violations check by Kerala Police for the May-July 2014 quarter has gone up by 64 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Dr. Ramdas Pisharody, Principal, Trivandrum Medical College, congratulating the Trivandrum City Police for making the college area smoke-free said,  “This concerted effort by the police force to safeguard the lives of thousands who visit the hospital every day by enforcing COTPA is very laudable. Owing to high literacy levels and penetration of mass media in Kerala, awareness that smoking and tobacco use is harmful to health is very high among our people. Yet, people continue to smoke away causing harm not only to their health but also of others. Tough enforcement of laws together with counselling by doctors is the need of the hour to arrest the preventable damage to public health from tobacco use.”

The Trivandrum City Police, as a part of the collective exercise led by the District Administration to make the district model COTPA compliant, recently declared the Medical College police circle smoke free.

Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts are also in the fray to become model COTPA compliant. Multi-stakeholder efforts in these two districts are led by the District Collectors with active support from the police and other enforcement agencies.  

According to Dr. VP Gangadharan, pioneer medical oncologist and HoD of Medical and Paediatric Oncology, Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi, tobacco induced oral cancers is on the rise in Kerala. “Youngsters are increasingly developing an affinity for tobacco products, which are a definitive causative factor for mouth and throat cancers.”

Complimenting the Kerala Police for their action to curb tobacco use through noble endeavours such as model COTPA compliant districts, he said, “All sections of the society should support the police and other enforcement officials to ensure that no sale of tobacco products happen around any educational institution in Kerala, from primary schools to institutions of higher education.”

Section 6 (b) of COTPA prohibits the sale of tobacco products around 100 yards (91.4 metres) of any educational institution.

Dr MN Krishnan, Prof and Head, Department of Cardiology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode feels that by working to control tobacco use through enforcing the law, police are not just helping to save lives but supporting the state’s economy as well.

“The economic burden to Kerala from tobacco use is very high; a study for the year 2011 found it is the highest for cardiovascular diseases at Rs 226 crores. This is precious resources going down the drain. Police, by acting against tobacco use, are doing a productive service not just to public health but also to our economy’s health.” 

He added that the fine amount collected by the police and other enforcement agencies should be pumped in for tobacco control measures.

From 16,363 challans for COTPA violations during May-July 2013, police have strengthened efforts and have fined/challaned 26,797 persons during May-July 2014, as per Kerala Police website. Fine amount collected from COTPA violators have also increased by 115 per cent in the same period. From Rs 2,270,950 in 2013, it rose to Rs 4,877,550 in 2014. 

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COTPA implementation: Kerala Government authorises Excise Inspectors

The Kerala Government vide GO(P) No. 155-2014/TD dated 20 September 2014 has authorised Excise Department for implementing COTPA, 2003. Officers of the rank of the Excise Inspectors and above can now take action under Sections 12 and 13 of COTPA.

Section 12 of COTPA 2003 states: (1) Any police officer, not below the rank of a sub-inspector or any officer of State Food or Drug Administration or any other officer, holding the equivalent rank being not below the rank of Sub-Inspector of Police, authorised by the Central Government or by the State Government may, if he has any reason to suspect that any provision of this Act has been, or is being, contravened, enter and search in the manner prescribed, at any reasonable time, any factory, building, business premises or any other place,

a. where any trade or commerce in cigarettes or any other tobacco products is carried on or cigarettes or any other tobacco products are produced, supplied or distributed; or 

b. where any advertisement of the cigarettes or any other tobacco products has been or is being made.

(2) The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, shall apply to every search and seizure made under this Act.

Section 13 of COTPA 2003 reads: (1) If any police officer, not below the rank of a sub-inspector or any officer of State Food or Drug Administration or any other officer, holding the equivalent rank being not below the rank of Sub-Inspector of Police, authorised by the Central Government or by the State Government, has any reason to believe that, 

a. in respect of any package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products, or

b. in respect of any advertisement of cigarettes or any other tobacco products, 

the provisions of this Act have been, or are being, contravened, he may seize such package or advertisement material in the manner prescribed.

(2) No package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products or advertisement material seized under clause (a) of sub-section (1) shall be retained by the officer who seized the package or advertisement material for a period exceeding ninety days from the date of the seizure unless the approval of the District Judge, within the local limits of whose jurisdiction such seizure was made, has been obtained for such retention.

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Thiruvananthapuram set to become first smoke-free district

By August 31, all government, public sector and private offices in the district are would become 'Smoke-free' as the district collector has issued directives as part of the drive to make the district the first district in the state to comply with the Indian Tobacco Control law - Cotpa. 

"Initially, directions were issued to ensure a smoke-free environment in all public places, government, public and private offices and establishments in the district by August 15. As some had sought more time to implement it, the deadline to ensure a smoke-free district was extended till 31st," district collector Biju Prabhakar told TOI. 

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting convened by the district collector with representatives of all major departments such as city and rural police, education, excise, local self government, corporation, food Safety, health, RCC, transport and railways on Tuesday. 

The directive states that all workplaces, government, public offices and private establishments in the district should ensure a smoke-free environment according to Section 4 of Smoking in Public Places Rules 2008 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (Cotpa). It has outlined the need to set up warning boards in bilingual template of no less than 60cmx30cm on display at workplaces and public places. 

"Enforcement of the drive to ensure a smoke-free public space in any government, public and private office or establishment will help reduce the menace, even if not 100% eradication. In a workplace or a hotel, smoking should not be permitted in a public space as it will affect others's health. A separate smoker's chamber or room should be there," Biju Prabhakar said. 

With Tobacco-free Kerala, making all workplaces smoke-free is critical to achieving the target of Kerala's first Cotpa compliant district and it will make the state capital a model in the public health arena, he added. 

After the enforcement drive against tobacco products and pan masala, it is almost banned in Kerala with the convergence of various departments including, excise and food safety, he said. 

Courtesy: Times of India

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Kozhikode district to say no to tobacco

The district administration, with the help of the Police Department and various voluntary organisations, is trying to make Kozhikode a tobacco-free district as per the Cigarettes and Other tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003.

District Collector C.A. Latha said in a press release that the district administration aimed at coordinating various departments and agencies for the purpose. The district would get a ‘public health friendly’ status in three months, she said.

The project was part of the government’s policy to protect the public, especially children, from tobacco and drugs. The Collector had convened a meeting of various departments and agencies on August 7 to discuss the project. The response was favourable, the release said.

The target would be achieved through awareness programmes and strict enforcement of the laws by the police and other agencies, with the help of various institutions and the media, the release said.

The district administration would monitor and evaluate the implementation of the project. The details would be made available on the official website,
Ms. Latha said.

Campaigns would be taken up to make people aware of the harm that tobacco could do. People’s representatives would take part in the project. The plan was to make it a model project for other districts and States to emulate, she said.

As per Section 4 of COTPA, smoking had been banned in public places. Advertising tobacco products in any manner was banned under Section 5. Section 6(a) banned the sale of tobacco products to anyone below 18 years of age.

The section also banned the sale of tobacco products within 100 metres of educational institutions. Section 7 spoke of mandatory health warnings on packets. All these would be enforced strictly, she said.

City Police Commissioner A.V. George and District Police Chief, Kozhikode rural, P.H. Ashraf said the police would cooperate wholeheartedly with the programme.

Police officers in the district had been trained and instructed in this regard. The programme was co-organised by ‘Tobacco Free Kerala.’

Source: The Hindu

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Kerala capital to become model COTPA compliant: City police gears up

The Thiruvananthapuram City Police  are fully geared up for time-bound action to make the capital a tobacco free district that fulfils the provisions of the Indian tobacco control law COTPA, 2003. This follows a multi-stakeholder meeting chaired by the District Collector that decided to make Thiruvananthapuram a model COTPA compliant district.

As part of this, Circle Inspectors and Sub Inspectors attended a half-day workshop in which they were explained the various sections of COTPA and the steps for achieving model compliance status.

Deputy Commissioner Smt S Ajeetha Begum talked about the purpose of the training programme and asked all officers to take strict action against COTPA violations. “We are embarking on a prestigious project that will have positive implications on the health and well-being of our people,” she said, even while calling for strengthening reporting of COTPA violations.

Faculty member Retd.DySP Adv K Mohana Kumar made an audio-visual presentation and explained the various sections of COTPA and the punitive measures prescribed for violation of each. Section 4 of COTPA prohibits smoking in all public places; acts of violation will invite a fine up to Rs 200. Public places have also to put up mandatory no smoking signages in the prescribed size and format at the entrance and conspicuous places inside. Educational institutions, hospitals, restaurants, cinema halls and the like are included in the list of public places, he told.

Section 5 prohibits all forms of tobacco advertisements; Section 6 prohibits sale of tobacco products to and by minors – sale of tobacco products around 100 yards (91.4 metres) radially of an educational institution is banned. Section 7 requires statutory health warnings in all tobacco products’ packages.

Joint Commissioner, Food Safety Shri K Anil Kumar explained that products such as gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine have been banned in Kerala as per the 2011 regulation of the Food Safety and Standards Act of India, 2006. As per this, tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as an ingredient in any food product and that the product should not contain any substance that is injurious health.  He also sought stronger coordination between Food Safety and other implementing departments such as Police and Health for effective enforcement of the ban in Kerala.

District Health Officer (Rural) Shri PK Raju presented field-level experiences on implementing COTPA. Highlighting a circular issued by the local self government department in 2011, he pointed out that setting up of ‘no smoking’ boards are a precondition for issue of Factory Licences and Dangerous & Offensive Trade Licences under the Kerala Panchayat/Municipality Acts. Secretaries of Local Government Institutions have been directed to display boards prohibiting smoking at public places and premises of offices under their control, Shri Raju added.

In his opening remarks, Shri S Jayaraj, State Coordinator, Tobacco Free Kerala spoke about smoking in public places which violates Articles 21 and 47 of the Indian Constitution. Article 21 is about protection of life and personal liberty and Article 47 calls upon the State to improve public health.

Tobacco use victim Shri Sukumaran narrated the physical and financial hardships he had to face following tobacco induced oral cancer. The workshop was organised by Trivandrum City Police together with Tobacco Free Kerala – a coalition of like-minded organisations formed for tobacco control in Kerala. More than 30 officers participated in the programme. 

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